From Newsletter: Whelping

from Whelping Management
By Cathy Ochs-Cline

If you would like to read the first part of this article—yes there's more—then go to
www.phi-vestavia.com/whelpingmanagement.htm.

If your bitch is pregnant, start changing her feedings at the same time her pregnancy is confirmed (i.e. about 30 days post-breeding). You will not need to start increasing her food intake at this point, but she should start receiving more protein and fat than in her normal ration. Substituting a high-quality premium puppy food for her normal food will accomplish this. Morning sickness or loss of appetite is normal at 30 days post breeding. Bitches will sometimes even vomit a little yellow bile in the morning. This stage should pass quickly and some bitches never miss a meal!

Two weeks before whelping start feeding her small quantities of high quality meat protein, such as chicken, beef, eggs, liver, etc. Meals can be divided and fed several times a day. By the end of the pregnancy, your bitch should be eating 50% more than usual, and should be getting approximately 25-30% of her total intake as protein. Even if you are feeding a food that has high protein, you will need to supplement with high quality meat toward the end of the pregnancy. It is important that your bitch eats more since she will need every ounce of fat she has stored once she has the litter. It is very frustrating when you can't get the bitch to eat what is offered. Most bitches will get picky about eating at some point in their pregnancy. If she refuses to eat her normal dry ration, substitute oatmeal, cooked barley, brown rice or wheat cereal. Use whatever you can to keep your bitch eating, but make sure her diet is still as BALANCED as possible.

When you are setting up the bitch's whelping box or nest you need to find a quiet, draft-free area. Try to set the box away from other dogs or bitches with litters. If you are whelping her in summer and she is in a room with an air-conditioning vent, close it, or block it off. There are many different types of whelping boxes you can use. Plastic children's wading pools are ideal because they are inexpensive, portable, very easy to clean, and you can throw them out if they are chewed. Another feature of these pools is that they can be turned if your bitch moves away from you when she is delivering a puppy. If using a wood box, make sure it is painted with child-safe non-toxic sealing paint and thoroughly clean it with a strong disinfectant before using. Clean up the room as much as possible before the whelping, including vacuuming and dusting, and clean all near-by surfaces with an all-purpose disinfectant. Lysol is fine, but stronger disinfectants are now readily available from veterinary supply companies. Continue your preparations by washing all bedding and towels you will use in hot water and chlorine bleach before you move them into the whelping area. Clean all scissors with betadine and keep them covered until you need them. Place a heating pad in the bottom of a box to use as a puppy warming box. Plug the heating pad in, but don't turn it on until the whelping begins.

One other thing I keep on hand during whelpings is a vial of oxytocin. It should only be used by those who are experienced and should never be used just to speed up a delivery. The most important contraindication in using oxytocin is a mechanical blockage. If you can not reach up inside your bitch and safely say that there is not a puppy in the birth canal, you SHOULD NOT be using oxytocin. A good way to speed up labor is just to let the puppies nurse in between deliveries. Nursing causes the bitch's hormones to flow, effecting a speedy delivery.

As the puppies are being born, write down all pertinent information on the Puppy Birth Record Sheet. It is very important to note when each puppy is born so you know the time space between puppies. Also note if the bitch has retained or delivered all the placentas. This may make the difference between having to use an antibiotic after the delivery. As each puppy is born, dry it off with a hand towel and examine it carefully to make sure it has no physical birth defects. Check inside its mouth to make sure its palate is complete and check to make sure it has an anal opening - these are the two most common and obvious birth defects.

Weigh the puppy after it is thoroughly dry (sometimes you have to wait hours if you have an enthusiastic dam) and record the birth weight. Also record any distinguishing markings, or those easiest to see when standing above the puppies. Do this as the puppies are born or you could get confused later. Some people like to identify their puppies by putting different color ric-rac (cords) around their necks (I have never done this, but I assume its safe since I know so many people who have.). Start a Puppy Data Sheet on each puppy and use it to record the markings and other information you may need later.

At the end of a whelping you may wish to take your bitch and her puppies to the vet. There is some risk involved with taking them out so young, so guard them as best you can. Put the puppies in their puppy box with the heating pad in the bottom and cover the top with a towel. Plug the pad into the nearest socket as soon as you get to the vet clinic and make sure the puppies stay warm. If curious people want to look at them, uncover them briefly for a peek and never let them be touched by anyone other than the vet. It can be extremely helpful to have your vet examine both the bitch and her puppies as soon after whelping. Discuss the whelping, any complications or any concerns you might have. Take all your whelping records and let your vet review them. The decision about a clean-out shot of oxytocin or an antibiotic shot or therapy is called for at this point. If you have any question about whether your bitch has completed the whelping, have her x-rayed. This is certainly optional, but a retained puppy is a very serious problem that at best can cause the puppy's death, and at worst can cause a potentially lethal or devastating infection for the bitch.

When the trip to the vet is over, bring the bitch and puppies home and settle them all into their nest. The most common loss of puppies in the first week is chilling. Keep a room thermometer on the floor of the whelping pool and keep the area at around 23-25 degrees. Remember that warm air rises, so it is important to have the thermometer as close to the floor of the whelping box as possible. There are many different methods of heating the whelping area. It is best to warm the whelping environment, rather than just the whelping box, or you may expose the puppies to drafts. A regular light bulb in a reflector is an excellent source of heat. You can place it close to the box and move it further away when the desired temperature is reached. You can use a high watt bulb and gradually change to a lower-watt bulb as the puppies get older. A normal light bulb does not tend to dry the environment out as rapidly as a heat lamp or heating pad. Watch your bitch and puppies to make sure the area temperature is comfortable for them. If you warm the area too much, the bitch will become hot and she may move away from her puppies. Puppies laying around in a loose pile are comfortable. Cold puppies will pile together and become restless. Puppies sprawled out away from each other with open mouths are too warm.

Put carpet or towels down in the box over a thick layer of newspapers so the puppies can have a good surface to crawl on and push against when they move around (many breeders use the product called drybed only from 10 days onward - before this time it can be dangerous as puppies can suck the fibre off the drybed - and this can be purchased online or through your vet or petshop. Wool blankets, flannelette sheets are suitable for the first 10 days). A large piece of bathroom carpeting cut to fit the box is excellent. Many companies make fake lambskin pieces to fit in the whelping box and these are good, also. Although newspaper alone is more economical, the pups have a hard time moving across its slippery surface. Light colored carpeting is best because it helps you see if any pups are bleeding or having abnormal stools, and also helps keep track of your bitch's vaginal discharge. Change the rug and papers in the box at least once a day, or more often depending on how clean mom is keeping the puppies. All bedding and towels used on the pups should be washed in hot water and chlorine bleach after being soiled. Accumulated urine and faeces in a rug can quickly gather bacteria and put puppies at risk.

The first week after birth monitor the pups and dam closely. Anything abnormal about her behaviour needs to be noted and watched in case it is a sign of a problem. Often the first indication of an infection is a bitch who begins to lose interest in her puppies. Keep an eye on the color and consistency of her vaginal discharge. A normal discharge will be dark red or brown after delivery, gradually lightening and thinning within the first week. If her discharge darkens or thickens, or if it has foul odor or abnormal color, it may signal a problem. Check the dam's breasts several times in the first week to be sure that there are no hard lumps or sores that may mean the beginnings of mastitis. Also check the color of the dam's gums several times in the first week. Most bitches will lose some of the normal pinkness of the gums due to the generalized blood loss during the delivery, but her gums should return to normal rather quickly.

The puppies in the first weeks should be treated with the utmost concern. A normal, healthy pup should be round and fully packed, and feel heavy when picked up. It may take several days, or longer in large litters, before you get to this stage. Puppies doesn't do much in the first week except eat and sleep. While sleeping, the puppy will jerk and shudder. This is called activated sleep and is perfectly normal. The pads on their feet should be dark pink. The puppy should have good muscle tone and never be listless or limp when picked up. Spend at least 10 minutes twice a day observing the puppies. If you do not see a puppy jerk or move at least once in a two minute period, it is time for a closer inspection.
Monitor the weights carefully in the first week. Take weights once a day on normal puppies, and twice a day on problem puppies. Examine each puppy as you weigh it.

When checking weights twice a day also check these other things: 1) Make sure that the puppy is not dehydrated. Lift the skin over the shoulders and if it does not quickly fall back into place the puppy is dehydrated. Begin supplementing with the glucose solution. If they puppy does not respond within a few hours take it to the vet. 2) Check the temperature of the puppies. If a puppy feels cool to the touch, insert a finger into its mouth. If it is also cool there, then warm the puppy gradually (place in a towel in your shirt, or place on a heating pad on LOW) and start supplementing with glucose solution. When a puppy is chilled it cannot digest food, so do NOT supplement with milk replacer.

Does all this seem to take the fun out of raising a litter? Raising a litter is a lot of work, but when you are doing all this checking and recording, remember to cuddle the pups and the dam. Everyone will benefit from it. I think of the whelping area as a hospital. Does this make things too clinical? I don't think so. Remember, many human mothers and children have benefited since doctors decided that giving birth in a hospital was advisable. Giving birth in a hospital may not be easier, but keeping mothers and problem children alive during those first crucial few days is. Everything is monitored and watched. If you are having bitches who whelp poorly and lose a lot of puppies, it may not be the bitch's fault. It may mean that there is something that could be done differently to manage the whelping.

When raising a litter there is no substitute for common sense. It never hurts to be an alarmist. If something does not look or feel right, go with your instincts. Don't let your vet make you feel like a doting mother. If you can't work with your vet...find a new one! Remember, most vets don't have much experience with normal whelpings. You are probably more experienced than s/he is in this respect. The vet is there to help with a problem. The mother and the litter are your future and a tremendous investment of your time and emotion. Knowing proper management techniques is one of the best ways to protect your investment.